Signs and Wonders Spirituality: Breakfast with the Word Mark 8:11-13.

Breakfast with the Word Monday Week 6 in Ordinary Time of the Year

 

Mark 8:11-13

 

Signs and wonders spirituality is that type of relationship that exists between us and God which is wholly determined by the miracles we receive from God. In this spirituality, when God does not work miracle we lose faith easily. Then when He works, we become happy and close to Him. In this spirituality, signs and wonders determine if our God is real or not. In this spirituality also, we only come to God because of signs and wonders, and when we do not see the signs and wonders, we lose faith.

 

Signs and wonders spirituality is that spirituality in which we relate with God because of the mighty deeds He does. It is when we come close to Him only for the sake of problems and when the problem is solved, we go back to square one. Beware of signs and wonders spirituality.

 

Signs and wonders spirituality is superficial. It is superficial, in the sense that it is determined by God that works and one that does not work. This spirituality becomes very weak when we feel our God does not work the way we want. We lose hope when we feel He does not work miracles.

 

Signs and wonders spirituality is truly what has made many people today lose faith in God and think that God is only an imagination. In signs and wonders spirituality, we relate with God not because He is God and demands our worship but because of wonders and miracles (Oru ebube spirituality).

 

Here we only come close to God when we are seeking something (ewere ihe m na ayo Chukwu spirituality) and when we do not get what we want, we lose faith easily and fall back to where we belong. Signs and wonders spirituality is never good for our spiritual growth. Seek God first, and other things will be added unto you.

 

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The Gospel.

 

In today’s gospel of Mark 8:11-13, the Pharisees come to Jesus and begin to ask Jesus for a sign. They demand a sign that will come from heaven. An indication that they are yet to have satisfaction in all the miracles Jesus has been doing.

 

Before then, Jesus has fed more than four thousand people with only 7 loaves of bread and a few fish. The Pharisees seem not to be satisfied yet. They want the one that will shake the world. This is the problem with signs and wonders spirituality.

 

They are not seeking Jesus to listen or have a close relationship with Him, but because they want to see signs.

In signs and wonders spirituality, our aim of coming close to God is not because we are hungry for Him but because we want to see entertainments, spiritual shows, where the lame walks and jumps. We want where it happens (ebe o na eme spirituality). The point here is that this type of spirituality is not what Jesus wants. It is not bad to seek for solutions but our spirituality must not revolve around solution spirituality. Deep closeness with God is the key.

 

Signs and Wonders Spirituality Among The Pharisees.

 

In the gospel, the Pharisees ask for a sign beyond the one Jesus has been doing. They want Jesus to do something that will prove He is truly the Messiah. This sign that will come down from heaven will be an outward compelling proof of the divine authority of Jesus.

 

Jesus sighed at this request and refused to even pay attention to them. This is an indication that signs and wonders spirituality is not truly what God wants from those who come to Him. He needs more of us. He wants us to have strong faith in Him. Jesus resolutely refused the request for such a sign because it arose out of unbelief. This is the reason many who have this kind of spirituality get disappointed at last. God detests this type of spirituality.

 

Jesus had performed many signs for them as recorded in the Book of Mark. For example, He had cast out many demons, healed the sick, fed the multitude etc. For them, this is not enough or they had concluded that the signs He did may not be from Him.

 

They were asking for the one from heaven like the sun dancing, the cloud reaching the earth, going back and moving around, and the moon coming out in the day or the angels to come out of the sky and begin to blow a trumpet. They want more extraordinary signs. To this request, Jesus sighed deeply from the deepest part of His heart.

 

 

Here the Greek word anastenazo is used. It describes Jesus’ grief and disappointment when faced with the unbelief of those who, because of their spiritual privileges, ought to have been more responsive to Him but they did not.

 

It shows that all the things Jesus has been doing for them are not making any single impression on them. None of the things Jesus is doing all these while was able to convince them of who Jesus is.

 

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Healing comes from God : Mark 7:31-37

 

When We become Like the Pharisees.

 

Can we pause and recount all the things God has done and continue to do for us, yet we do not have time for Him and we have hardened our hearts to Him. Like the Pharisees, we have already made up our minds on what to believe and what not to believe.

 

The request for a sign by the Pharisees was not sincere. It was “to test him” and hence does not come out of true love for Jesus Christ. We become like the Pharisees when our worship of God is not true. Hence, we only come to God because of wonders and miracles.

 

We look for only signs and wonders forgetting the blessings God has been lavishing on us. The question then is, do we believe in God because of what He is or because of what we see Him do. Do we worship God because He is God and needs to be worshiped or because of the mighty things He might do?

 

Signs and Wonders Spirituality is deeply affecting our relationship and knowledge of God. If our aims are only to be searching where it is happening, let us think again, we still have a long way to go. God needs more than this.

 

May God bless you dearest and give us the grace to know Him and may He never allow you to stumble. Amen.

 

(Happy Valentine’s day)

 

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